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tBJ existed
through its first 9-1/2 volumes as a paid-subscription paper journal. The last
issue of Volume 10 was completed in 2007 and is available only as an electronic
document. (All previous issues are now encapsulatd in the two compilations.) I
am going to make the new content openly available through this site in
electronic format only. My hope is that donations and the sale of miscellaneous
components will cover the costs of maintaining and expanding
the Bell Jar. Even though it is freely
available, please respect the fact that the material is protected by copyright.

The articles contained in the first 10 years
of the Bell Jar have been compiled into two
publications. These are available as password protected downloads. After
purchasing a download, instructions on how to retrieve and open the document
will be emailed to you, generally within 24 hours. If you wish to remit by a
method other than PayPal, please email me via the Contact
Form.

The First Five Years: This is a
compilation of the content of Volumes 1-5 (1992-1996). It contains over 200
pages of vacuum theory & practice, projects and useful tidbits. The table
of contents is linked to chapters for ease of navigation. File size is
approximately 11.5 MB. Price is $40 as a PDF download.

The Second Five Years: This
compilation contains the content of Volumes 6-10 (1996 - 2000) less most of
Volume 10 Numbers 3&4 which is already available for download elsewhere on
this page. Bookmarks are provided for ease of navigation through the 200+ page
document. File size is approximately 10 MB. The price is $40 as a PDF
download.

Exploding Wires: Principles, Apparatus and Experiments. I
produced this booklet in 1993 and sold a goodly number of them through Lindsay
Publications. For me, exploding wires led to rail guns and other pulse plasma
devices.

A
Primer on Using Ace Threds(TM). Ace Threds are a great way to add
electrical and fluid feedthroughs to custom glassware.

An Introduction to Vacuum Technology for the Amateur
Scientist is a 40 page booklet that contains information on vacuum theory,
apparatus and representative vacuum projects. This booklet was compiled at the
request of the Citizen Scientists League and may be downloaded via my CSL
landing page by clicking on the image to the left. The page also has a link to
the CSL web site. Much of the material is available from sources on this page,
some is new content.

This section links to ongoing projects
in my shop. These will be updated as work progresses so check back every now
and then if something is of interest. Please use the Forum for feedback and
questions.

The following articles are a sampling from the pages of
the Bell Jar. In most cases they are in their
original form. Numerous updates, corrections and expansions have been made to
these articles when merged into the two compilations.

Note: Articles published later than 1996 are in Adobe
AcrobatTM (PDF) format and require the free Acrobat reader. Earlier
articles are in HTML.

Frank Lee, through his writings in Scientific
American, was my primary source of inspiration with regard to getting
involved with vacuum technology. During the mid 1990s I corresponded regularly
with him and had the pleasure of meeting him once. At that time he presented me
with small collection of his drawings and writings, some of which have found
their way into the Bell Jar. As of this
writing (late 2007) I am in the process of scanning many of these documents and
they will be available here in their original form.

Hickman Oil
Diffusion Pump - This is one of the pumps sold by Morris & Lee
in the 1960s. I purchased one of these for about $35.00 if memory serves me
right. It required a low backing pressure and, at that time, was beyond the
capabilities of any of my early forepumps. Recent studies by Hablanian, et al.
have shown that the Hickman pump is more of a trap than a
pump.